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MUMBAI: Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli on Thursday announced that he will step down as captain in the Twenty20 International (T20Is) format after the T20 World Cup that will begin in Dubai next month.
“Considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all 3 formats and captaining regularly for last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian team in test and ODI cricket,” Kohli stated on Twitter.
🇮🇳 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ds7okjhj9J
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 16, 2021
However, the Indian cricketer announced that he would remain the captain in the One Day International (ODI) and Test formats as well as a player for the national side in T20Is.
He added that he had “given everything” to the Indian cricket team during his time as the T20I captain and would continue to do so in the future as a batsman. Kohli said he had taken a lot of time to make his decision and consulted his seniors as well as officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
He thanked the support staff, the team’s selection committee, coaches, and “every Indian who prayed for us to win” for their support during his time as captain.
Kohli’s decision comes days after a top BCCI official said he would remain the captain in all three formats of the game. Kohli’s recent sketchy form with the bat had led to reports that changes could be made after the T20 World Cup.
However, the star player had received a vote of confidence from BCCI Secretary Jay Shah. “There is no such proposal to replace Kohli and the team is led by Virat and we are backing him,” Shah had said at the time.
Kohli led India to a landmark Test series win in Australia in January and they were leading 2-1 in England when the fifth and final Test was controversially cancelled last week because of a coronavirus outbreak in the tourists’ camp.
India have not lost a Twenty20 series under Kohli, but they have failed to win either the 50-over Champions Trophy, World Cup or T20 World Cup since he became white ball captain in 2017.
